The Commanders will not pick up Chase Young‘s fifth-year option ahead of the league’s May 2 deadline, a source with knowledge of the situation said — a move that means this season could be the former Ohio State star’s last in Washington.
The team informed Young and his agent of the decision, a source said. If the Commanders had picked up the option, Young would have earned a fully guaranteed salary of nearly $17.5 million in 2024. Instead, the 24-year-old will become a free agent after this season — absent a new deal.
The latest development would have been hard to imagine just two years ago when Young — the second overall pick in 2020 — won Defensive Rookie of the Year with an electric campaign in which he recorded 7½ sacks, forced four fumbles and recovered three fumbles. Young was not only named to the Pro Bowl because of his impact, but he helped Washington make the playoffs that season.
But the pass rusher has been unable to replicate that level of production since. In 2021, Young recorded just 1½ sacks in nine games before suffering a severe season-ending knee injury.
That injury, which included a torn anterior cruciate ligament, left Young mostly sidelined for the following season as he didn’t return until the final three games. Young failed to register a sack in any of those outings.
Declining Young’s option also means the Commanders’ top five defensive ends are all entering the final year of their contracts. That group includes starter Montez Sweat and key reserves James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill and Efe Obada.
The NFL draft begins Thursday and runs through Saturday, so Washington could attempt to add to that position over the next few days.
Washington‘s defensive line is regarded as among the best in football, but questions have lingered about whether the team could realistically keep the core of Young, Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne — all first-rounders — under contract for the long term. In recent years, the team handed out big new contracts to Allen and Payne — the latter of whom signed a four-year, $90 million contract this offseason.
Coincidentally, Washington‘s history with Payne might serve as a best-case scenario for Young. Though the Commanders opted to pick up Payne’s fifth-year contract, the team chose to not negotiate an extension with the defensive tackle last summer — when he could have potentially been much cheaper. Instead, Payne went on to have a career season and earned a big payday.
Coach Ron Rivera publicly wondered this offseason whether it would benefit Young to have similar “motivation.” But asked last month if he felt that was needed for the pass rusher, Rivera said good health was more of a priority for Young. He said the Ohio State product had received a “clean bill of health” from Dr. James Andrews, the surgeon who operated on Young’s knee.
Weeks later, however, Rivera said the Commanders wanted to evaluate Young’s health before deciding on his fifth-year option. The edge rusher participated in the team’s first wave of voluntary offseason workouts — after skipping the sessions in the past.
In 2021, Young missed the sessions to film commercials and defended his decision by telling reporters, “I was making that money, baby.” A year later, Young attended most of the voluntary workouts but missed a week because he was rehabbing his knee injury in Colorado away from the team.
“That’s the thing that will drive a big part of the conversation,” Rivera said about Young’s health earlier this month. “As we continue to work through this and talk about it, it will be about seeing him and watching him. … We’ll continue to work through these things — talks to the doctors, talk to the strainers, strength and medical — and just kind of get a feel for where he is.”
If Young balls out in 2023, the Commanders’ choice to not pick up his fifth-year option may end up being costly.
Washington could always still look to retain Young with the franchise tag — though that would cost a projected $24.5 million, or an extra $7 million from his original fifth-year option. The two sides could also attempt to hammer out a long-term deal, if Washington decides it wants to keep Young.
Or the Commanders could let Young test the market, where they might risk losing him to an opposing team in free agency.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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